Mansewerz, you should get the 13 inch laptop if you plan to take it to classes with you and be mobile with it. I had a 15 inch macbook pro initially, but I switched with my sister for the 13 inch macbook pro. I like it much better as it is very lightweight and gets all the college and personal tasks done.

The 15 inch had slightly better graphics (idk about now considering the 15/17 inch macbooks come with AMD radeon processors), a more spacious keyboard, speakers on both sides of the keyboard, and and two individual slots for audio in/out whereas the the 13 inch has only one slot for both audio in/out.

I would strongly recommend the 13 inch laptop, but you should go to the apple store and see which one you like better.

I simply cannot believe all the Mac threads within the last few days on this board. Oh well.

Mansewerz, look into Hackintoshes. They're computers that use traditional PC hardware (read: not sold by Apple) yet they run OSX. It'll be immensely cheaper than buying a similarly priced Mac but you still get that OSX feel (which, for the record, I hate. )

What kind of work are you going to do?
13" ist great for anything, I work doing 3D graphics
and I have no problems, I would be better for me
to use the 15" but the mobility from the 13" is
a big plus.
For regular not cpu und memory demanding tasks(3D is really
a tough job for the computer ) the 13" is more that enough.

Why do you want a mac? They're good computers and all, but there's a decent number of programs mac doesn't support. They also happen to be ridiculously expensive. Unless your college is gifting you one/you find a really nice sale/a generous aunt gives you one (my case), don't go mac.

That being said, a 13 inch will serve you fine. Here at Dartmouth, most students do use macs, but very few use anything but the 13's.

the majority of people I know prefer to take notes w/ paper and pencil.
Having laptops, especially smaller ones provides great mobility because college students tend to study in groups and whatnot .. my roommate went 4 years hauling around a 17 in toshiba in his backpack and he regrets it everyday haha

Do college students really take that many notes any more that they need a laptop in class?

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Its as much for note taking as the social aspect.

Mansewerz is simply believes one form of the simian social status model. The mac is equivalent to the alpha male's big barreled simian chest, as social status now comes from financial wealth and that wealth is reflected in high price material ownership. Having a Macbook in class is far more noticable then an expensive pair of jeans as it is difficult to position one's ass (and thus the label) in highly viewable angle for the class to see.

He'll fall down the social ladder by using pencil and paper. Unless he compensates by owning a highend phone which he shows off.

Thus he needs a mac and not a $250 netbook or ....shudders....NEVER a hand me down laptop from parents or older siblings

I haven't joined in on this conversation quite yet because everybody would see me as a hostility to Mac's, but let's not start a flame war again since my questions weren't even answered in the last thread. Make a new thread (don't), but OP already chose he's going for Mac's, so let him be.

I recommend the 15" simply because a 13" is something I've hated from personal preference. A 13" is smaller and more portable, but a 15" isn't bad either. I wouldn't go for the 17" in this scenario for the MacBook or any laptop.

Why do you want a mac? They're good computers and all, but there's a decent number of programs mac doesn't support. They also happen to be ridiculously expensive. Unless your college is gifting you one/you find a really nice sale/a generous aunt gives you one (my case), don't go mac.

That being said, a 13 inch will serve you fine. Here at Dartmouth, most students do use macs, but very few use anything but the 13's.

Click to expand...

At Duke, most people have Macs as well, and that's one of the reasons i'm leaning towards that.

What kind of work are you going to do?
13" ist great for anything, I work doing 3D graphics
and I have no problems, I would be better for me
to use the 15" but the mobility from the 13" is
a big plus.
For regular not cpu und memory demanding tasks(3D is really
a tough job for the computer ) the 13" is more that enough.

Click to expand...

Nothing heavy, perhaps some photoshop/photo manipulation. I take a lot of pictures (started photography recently), and I also like the OSX ease of use. The tour guide told us that Macs are pretty good unless you're doing some type of programming or engineering programs.

Mansewerz, you should get the 13 inch laptop if you plan to take it to classes with you and be mobile with it. I had a 15 inch macbook pro initially, but I switched with my sister for the 13 inch macbook pro. I like it much better as it is very lightweight and gets all the college and personal tasks done.

The 15 inch had slightly better graphics (idk about now considering the 15/17 inch macbooks come with AMD radeon processors), a more spacious keyboard, speakers on both sides of the keyboard, and and two individual slots for audio in/out whereas the the 13 inch has only one slot for both audio in/out.

I would strongly recommend the 13 inch laptop, but you should go to the apple store and see which one you like better.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll most likely go for the 13 inch then. Will it still run HD and whatnot? I'm not too worried about video games. But, for minor games, like Tennis Elbow, will it work alright?

the majority of people I know prefer to take notes w/ paper and pencil.
Having laptops, especially smaller ones provides great mobility because college students tend to study in groups and whatnot .. my roommate went 4 years hauling around a 17 in toshiba in his backpack and he regrets it everyday haha

Mansewerz is simply believes one form of the simian social status model. The mac is equivalent to the alpha male's big barreled simian chest, as social status now comes from financial wealth and that wealth is reflected in high price material ownership. Having a Macbook in class is far more noticable then an expensive pair of jeans as it is difficult to position one's ass (and thus the label) in highly viewable angle for the class to see.

He'll fall down the social ladder by using pencil and paper. Unless he compensates by owning a highend phone which he shows off.

Thus he needs a mac and not a $250 netbook or ....shudders....NEVER a hand me down laptop from parents or older siblings

Click to expand...

Not sure where you're getting this. I came from a middle class family. I don't own a smartphone because I can't justify having my parents pay for the data plan. I had one with a minimized data plan and gave it back. I'm on financial aid at my university, and I don't spend $30 on t-shirts to make myself look like hot ****.

Agree 100% My sister's friend refers to macs as playschool computers Why don't you explore some other options instead of just limiting yourself to macbooks.

Also, tell us what you plan on using your notebook for. Helps us techy people better recommend specs and such. Is it just for web/schoolwork, any pc games, video editing, etc?

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Mainly web and schoolwork, possibly some photo and video editting as well. I love tennis, so I may take videos of my tennis or the Duke Tennis team, and I will also use it for my photography. Low end video games, like Tennis Elbow possibly. I don't plan on playing loads of Crysis.

I haven't joined in on this conversation quite yet because everybody would see me as a hostility to Mac's, but let's not start a flame war again since my questions weren't even answered in the last thread. Make a new thread (don't), but OP already chose he's going for Mac's, so let him be.

I recommend the 15" simply because a 13" is something I've hated from personal preference. A 13" is smaller and more portable, but a 15" isn't bad either. I wouldn't go for the 17" in this scenario for the MacBook or any laptop.

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I'm not getting a 17". Too big and too expensive. Thanks for the input.

I'm thinking Macs, but the Hackintosh idea seems interesting, and I'm not totally opposed to PCs. I've used PCs all of my life, and my dad and brother have solid PC laptops. I like them, but I just thought of trying something else.

Most of the software I use is available on Mac,
the only one that I need on windows is 3D Studio Max,
if you want to try a Mac and still need a pc, you
can use Bootcamp and install windows in a partition.
Bootcamp is not an emulator, since 5 years ago more or less
Mac and pc are exactly the same in terms of hardware,
so when you boot on bootcamp you are using a true windows PC.